Hi, I am a highschool senior who has never gotten a D before but I went into the ap calc an exam with a low c and the final dropped me to a D. I studied hard for this class but still got ads on tests and a D on the final. I am wondering how bad would dropping this course for honors calc second semester look to colleges. I am applying to schools like Boston university, Miami of Ohio, UW Madison, Indiana University. I would like to stay in the course because I would like to work harder at the subject but I don’t know if it is worth risking another D. How much will my first semester grade effect my chances at getting into schools. Also how much will me dropping to honors and most likely getting an A in honors (it is known as being a lot easier) effect my chances? Should I email schools and explain my grade?
A D makes your app much less competitive (they will see when they get your 1st semester grades). If you don’t drop the class and get another D spring semester your admission may be revoked over the summer.
The real important thing, though, isn’t admissions but what this is telling you about your readiness for college-level work. In many HS classes a few hours review before the test and you’ve memorized enough to recognize the right answers or BS your way thru essay questions. And ironically smarter kids are more susceptible to this. Science & math classes, especially one like Calc, don’t work this way. In order to succeed you need hours of practice solving problems. Colleges know this, so the Calc grade is an indirect measure of study skills even for those intending a major far from math/science.
If you’ve been doing things like re-reading the chapter and your notes, you should know these are some of the least effective techniques. It is easy to confuse recognition with recall or the ability to apply the info. What does work is things like spacing out studying instead of cramming and repeatedly testing yourself by doing practice problems. Get the book “Make it Stick” and read it over the break, it explains what is known about learning and has tips for students.
About the last thing you should do! What are you going to “explain”? Many HS kids think an explanation is blaming a bad teacher or being too busy (such as with ECs) to study. Funny thing, though, adcoms don’t see that as exculpatory.
You didn’t answer any of my questions in a helpful way at all and in the last paragraph seemed to be assuming things you have no idea about…
If you have already been accepted to a college, you need to run it by the admissions office before you make any changes to your schedule. At the end of the school year a final transcript will go to your college, and they frown on “bait & switch” as well as “D’s, F’s and felonies”, and might even rescind your acceptance.
If you are in the process of applying, then yes, a D will make your application less competitive, but yes, you can drop down a level at will - and you probably should (unless you have the time and money for four months of intensive private tutoring). If you have already sent out transcripts, you should ask your guidance counselor to send out new ones (or at least updates) with your plans for second semester. If you’re a STEM or finance major, you should expect to find yourself judged harder in this class than if you are a humanities hopeful.
No college will admit you based on a grade you expect to receive in a class you haven’t yet taken. However, if notified in advance that you are dropping down a level in order to better match your abilities and to give yourself the best possible chance at having a solid foundation in the topic, they may be a little more forgiving.
Good luck. I sympathize with you. It’s a tough subject.